finalark
SNORLAX
Link to original post: [drupal=3645]On Gamers and Their Social Lives[/drupal]
I have a friend who I usually spend all of the time in between assignments in my math class talking video games with. We do this nearly everyday, and today were were going on about our StarCraft II match we had the previous night when the girl who sits next to me entered the conversation by basically telling us that because we play games so much our social lives will soon become nonexistent. I was about to initiate debate mode but then the teacher started his lesson and I decided that it probably wasn't worth debating video games with someone who probably doesn't know her Call of Duty from her Metal Gear.
For whatever reason, there is a stigma within the gamer community that makes us out to be anti-social freaks who only interact with other people when they're yelling at them over Xbox Live. The thing that most people seem to ignore is that video games can enhance your social life rather than hinder it. I don't think I can even count the amount matches of Smash Brothers, StarCraft, Halo, F-Zero, Power Stone and others that my friends and I have bonded over. What most non-gamers seem to miss is that multiplayer is more than just a bunch of twelve-year-olds throwing around cuss words. If you can find a group of people who like the same games that you do then I can gladly say that video games can bring you together just as well as any other mutual interest.
However, this doesn't mean that the opposite isn't true. There are countless news stories talking about problems that video games have caused, and this is what's probably causing this misinformation on the gaming community to spread. You always hear stores about how addiction to games ruins marriages and causes people to die of starvation. But here's the thing, despite what politicians have told the general public, it's not the game's fault if this is happening to you. It's yours and yours alone. If you decided to spend all weekend power leveling your Troll Mage rather than go bowling with your friends then that's your fault. If you decided to spend your weekend trying to unlock a pointless achievement rather than go swimming with your niece then that's your fault. If you decide to cancel all plans with everyone you know just so that way you can you can gun down some aliens then you have absolutely nobody to blame but yourself.
Video games will only destroy your social life if you let them. Video games can bring limitless fun and bonding between you and your friends. However, as long as there are people who don't have self control and get addicted to a game then the general public with never see us as anything but a bunch of anti-social apes who can't comprehend anything but "shoot" and "drop f-bomb."
I have a friend who I usually spend all of the time in between assignments in my math class talking video games with. We do this nearly everyday, and today were were going on about our StarCraft II match we had the previous night when the girl who sits next to me entered the conversation by basically telling us that because we play games so much our social lives will soon become nonexistent. I was about to initiate debate mode but then the teacher started his lesson and I decided that it probably wasn't worth debating video games with someone who probably doesn't know her Call of Duty from her Metal Gear.
For whatever reason, there is a stigma within the gamer community that makes us out to be anti-social freaks who only interact with other people when they're yelling at them over Xbox Live. The thing that most people seem to ignore is that video games can enhance your social life rather than hinder it. I don't think I can even count the amount matches of Smash Brothers, StarCraft, Halo, F-Zero, Power Stone and others that my friends and I have bonded over. What most non-gamers seem to miss is that multiplayer is more than just a bunch of twelve-year-olds throwing around cuss words. If you can find a group of people who like the same games that you do then I can gladly say that video games can bring you together just as well as any other mutual interest.
However, this doesn't mean that the opposite isn't true. There are countless news stories talking about problems that video games have caused, and this is what's probably causing this misinformation on the gaming community to spread. You always hear stores about how addiction to games ruins marriages and causes people to die of starvation. But here's the thing, despite what politicians have told the general public, it's not the game's fault if this is happening to you. It's yours and yours alone. If you decided to spend all weekend power leveling your Troll Mage rather than go bowling with your friends then that's your fault. If you decided to spend your weekend trying to unlock a pointless achievement rather than go swimming with your niece then that's your fault. If you decide to cancel all plans with everyone you know just so that way you can you can gun down some aliens then you have absolutely nobody to blame but yourself.
Video games will only destroy your social life if you let them. Video games can bring limitless fun and bonding between you and your friends. However, as long as there are people who don't have self control and get addicted to a game then the general public with never see us as anything but a bunch of anti-social apes who can't comprehend anything but "shoot" and "drop f-bomb."